Best of Long Weekend at Lake (PICS)

{Long} Weekend Get-away

Mike took a few vacation days and we decided to hop in the car as soon as he was home from work on Wednesday so that we could have a(nother) FULL DAY of vacation. We crossed the Mighty Mississippi and ventured to Northern WI, meeting Papa Olson at the cabin.

Silas announced "Want to float that boat!" as soon as we were awake the next morning, eyeing up the pontoon boat.

We enjoyed FISHING. On Mike's very first cast, Sydney reeled in the first fish of the weekend. (That was a great way to start things out!) Silas caught the 2nd and 3rd fish. Grandpa Lowell was nice enough to clean two days worth of fresh fish and we enjoyed fresh, fried FISH for lunch on Saturday. (A really great treat!)

Saturday afternoon, I was reunited with an old high school friend, who lives about an hour away from the cabin. I don't think I have seen her (in person) since I left UW-Madison in the fall of 1995, but we were able to pick up RIGHT where we left off. (We have communicated via email and Facebook during the past few years and her parents DO still live "back home".) We're hoping that we'll be able to meet up again sometime; it was nice!

Unfortunately, Silas had a fever for the second half of our long weekend while we were "up North" and became quite crabby. Thankfully, we had bought some Ibuprofen - just in case; unfortunately, it didn't seem to bring him comfort, like normal. (Nana was nice enough to run into town to buy some Tylenol instead, which DID seem to work wonders! ... Thanks, Nana! ... By the time we made it back HOME again and put Silas to bed in his own bed, he appeared to be feeling better. (YAY! What a relief!)

Sydney slept with Daddy on the nights that Silas was sick. Daddy was convinced that he was sleeping with Darth Vader... riding a bicycle. Sydney, apparently, sleeps in the middle of the bed and kicks his feet A LOT!!!! (And we already knew that that poor little kid suffers from a stuffy nose A LOT!) We had picked up some children's claritin/allergy medicine for him while we were up north because he was quite stuffy in the Northwoods.

Silas enjoyed a handful of rides on the 4-wheeler. (Sydney did NOT want to go at all.)

Both boys enjoyed pounding mails in the garage, as well as flying paper airplanes across the garage floor. They were busy little boys!

We all enjoyed a pontoon boat ride one afternoon. Both boys liked beeping the horn and helping Papa Olson drive the boat.

Lowell and I both enjoyed a book while we were away. I started (and nearly finished one) one in the car on the way up north. He finished his shortly after arriving as well. It was nice to look out at the lake, reading a book, especially in the waking hours when the house was quiet. (Lowell was up early enough to see the fog lifting off the lake most mornings. I witnessed it on our last morning there.)

We also enjoyed a trip to the ice cream store. Once again, Sydney opted for the colorful ice cream, SUPERMAN.

It was a LOVELY weekend! (Other than our lack of quality sleep and Silas being sick. We're guessing that two-year-molars are likely to blame.)

*Can't wait to upload pics from our weekend! Got some good ones! :)

Waking up DRY!

We've been cheering lately, as 2 year old Silas has been waking up DRY and immediately going potty on the potty chair before rescuing his cup of morning juice from the fridge. (He's also showing more and more interest in potty training, but opts for a diaper most days, but tells us when he has to go more often than not.)

This morning, Sydney (proudly) woke up dry! He asked me to check his diaper (dry) and help him to get his night diaper off. (He, too, takes his diaper off BEFORE he gets his juice.) As soon as I declared it dry, cheering him, he announced "I can't wait to tell Daddy!!!!!"

"You've probably got to go potty badly, don't you?"

"I think I do!" proclaimed Sydney.

We discussed that everyone is different and that it is a hard thing to learn how to do.
Daddy gets up to go potty in the night; Mommy does not.
Nana gets up to go potty at night; Papa does not.
Grandpa Lowell gets up to go potty at night.
Everyone is different.

"Just like on Clifford. Every dog is different." Sydney relates.

It's a step in the right direction! Hoping that we'll be able to STOP BUYING DIAPERS completely (one of these days).

TWO DRY DIAPERS TODAY!!!
YAY BOYS! YAY! Great Job!

SUMMER FUN - Let's play ball, campfire and marshmallows

JULY 20, 2013 – While Daddy was working, the boys and I went over to visit Grandpa Lowell. We needed a change of scenery and a distraction from our ordinary monotonous life. I parked across the end of Grandpas's driveway and we unloaded tiny bikes. 

• First on the agenda, putting on helmets and riding BIKES in the driveway. 
• Quickly, Sydney asked to go inside to play with toys. 
• Silas asked to ride on the lawn mower. 
• The boys LOVE that Grandpa has toys that are different than what we have at home and they can ALWAYS spot the newest additions to Grandpa's toybox immediately. Sydney played with toys. 
• We watched airplanes take off, flying over the house. 
• We fed Bishop (who sometimes gets called BEAMER by Silas, much like Sydney used to call any pet with 4 legs and a tail: EDDY.) 
• We played with toys. 
• We played piano. 
• We ate some of Grandpa's Dr. Oz-inspired homemade Sweet Potato Ice Cream.
• We ate lunch on the sunporch, accidentally breaking a dish. (THINGS happen; there's a reason WHY we start each visit to Nana & Papa's house with our mantra: We're sorry for whatever we break while we are visiting.) 
• Silas napped and woke VERY CONFUSED how to get out of the bedroom; the closet doors without door knobs threw him for a loop and somehow, he missed the real door that had been left open a few inches. 
• We played ball. 
• We picked red and black raspberries. (I love the way that Sydney still LOVES to hold Grandpa's hand when they go walking together; that's something that he has ALWAYS done!)
• We checked the pumpkin patch and discovered FLOWERS; yay! 
• We ate LOTS of apples from the backyard. 
• We broke branches into sticks for the fire. 
• We chopped wood. 
• We learned how to find the perfect sticks for roasting, how to strip the green leaves off of them and how to whittle the end for marshmallow placement.
• We roasted marshmallows in our campfire and made s'mores (substituting Nutella for chocolate; YUM!) 
• We read books and played some more.  
• We visited and played and played some more. 

We created great memories and enjoyed a near-perfect summer day at Grandpa's house, thankful that the high temperatures and terrible humidity have given us a break for a day or two!

3rd Annual self-timer photoshoot at Children's Zoo (2011, 2012, 2013)

SLEEP DISTURBANCES in our house lately (photo)

Sarah Olson Guard

This past week, we've entered into that pattern of horrible toddler sleep. 2-year old Silas has started not wanting to go to bed at night and not wanting to stay asleep, waking us up repeatedly throughout the night. (Thankfully, Silas has been a near-perfect sleeper for these past 2 years and Sydney FINALLY outgrew all of those "games" when he gave up napping for good. I'm convinced that Silas it still too little to give up naps for good.) Tonight, Silas screamed for TWENTY MINUTES before he settled down. A few minutes later, I checked on him and discovered his bed was empty. I checked my bedroom next; empty. Found him snuggled up next to his big brother. (Of course, I had to grab my camera as my heart was melting a little bit.)

TEN Things Right Now – SILAS

TEN Things Right Now – Silas

1. LOVES his monkey. (There are times that we've "LOST" monkey at nap/bedtime and had wished that we had a spare. We TRY to keep monkey out of the kitchen and bathroom so he doesn't get dirty. Lately, we're TRYING to keep monkey upstairs in the bedroom so we don't have to search for him so often.) We've noticed that Silas waves monkey in the air over his head sometimes when he's trying to fall asleep. Other times, we've noticed that he puts monkey over his eyes to block out the light. He absolutely love, Love, LOVES his monkey blankie. (Technically, it was a baby gift that we received when Sydney was born, but Sydney never grew attached to ANY sort of lovie.) Silas adopted this monkey when he was quite little and LOVES it! We have a picture of Uncle Mike snuggling with the monkey blankie when SYDNEY was very little.
2. Temper tantrums come with age; he's TWO now!
3. Requests to watch Bob the Builder as soon as he wakes up.
4. Started expressing some interest in potty training; wants to wears diapers, but tells us when he has to go POOP (means #1 or #2). Wears Pampers Sz. 5 during the day, Sz. 6 Pampers Extra Protection during the night. Wakes dry in the morning a few times per week. Pees on the toilet before a bath or a shower. Started wanting to go to the bathroom at the library, Target and Sam's Club lately when we are running errands.
5. LOVES to eat strawberries from our garden; he even eats them when they are green! (Little stinker.) We're just starting to get Sun Gold tomatoes now... he's starting to pick green ones... no surprise there! It's hard to wait for them to ripen when you KNOW how yummy they are!
6. Enjoys being OUTSIDE and being a HELPER!
7. Has NO FEAR at the pool.
8. Eats (and likes) almost everything!
9. Points out construction sites and construction equipment whenever we're driving. Announces whenever he sees a Bull-da-BO-zer (bulldozer). Started correcting Mommy when she calls EVERYTHING a "Digger".
10. Almost always smiling and is THE FRIENDLIEST KID you've ever met!!!

TEN Things Right Now – SYDNEY

TEN Things Right Now – Sydney

1. LOVES Quaker Oatmeal Squares (Cinnamon) for breakfast.
2. LOVES (Skippy, creamy) Peanut Butter & Nutella for lunch.
3. Thinks that stickers are meant to put EVERYWHERE; Colorforms would be a better choice... removable and repositionable. (I remember them from when I was a little kid.)
4. LOVES to snuggle, especially at bedtime.
5. Started using the potty chair (instead of the toilet) and thinks that he, too, deserves earning STICKERS for going to the bathroom. (Since is expressing interest in potty training again lately.) We don't know HOW he does it, but this kid is the cleanest catch ever!
6. Enjoys watching countless hours of Iowa Public Television (PBS), rhyming, playing in the sandbox, reading books and doing puzzles.
7. Wants to "SWIM" at the pool, but is (often) afraid to let go of the assisting parent.
8. Often looks a lot like Seinfeld's Kramer, especially when he's over-tired. (He's protested naps again for the past few months, but likely still NEEDS a short nap in the afternoon. He does, however, go to bed at night VERY EASILY because he is so stinkin' tired!)
9. Can't eat chicken nuggets unless they are served with honey.
10. Melts my heart when he announces:  I'm always going to be your baby!

Annual Independence Day celebration 2013

Our Annual 

Independence Day 

Party 2013

Sydney, Silas and Lucy play in the sandbox.

Sydney and Silas experience sparklers for the first time ever!

Sydney requested that we decorate our own cake for the party.

Here it is!

Grandpa Lowell tried to take a Family of 4 picture for us.

Hanging out with my little friend, LUCY!

Silas likes sparklers!

Oh, how fun! :)

Someone... SILAS... keeps sticking his hand in the 

Cool Whip topping (and thinks it is funny!)

Sydney is very unsure of sparklers.

Ingenious idea, Kate, for using bowls or cups

to protect tiny hands from the sparks and heat!

Our house is dressed up in RED, WHITE and BLUE

for our annual Independence Day celebration!

FLASHBACK... July 3, 2010:

Donna with Baby Lucy and Baby Sydney.

FLASHBACK: July 3, 2010

Sydney and Lucy

A crazy person shops the wine aisle at Walmart

Picking up some beer for our Independence Day party...

Scene: Shopping at Walmart with the boys when Sydney suddenly starts turning into a crazy person - looking like Seinfeld's Kramer being chased by a swarm of bees, being sucked up into a tornado and then, thrown across the floor where he's sliding across the aisle on his butt.

MOM: (calmly) Sydney, please control your body. I don't see any other people acting crazy like that while shopping.

SILAS: (points and yells) Look, Mom! A crazy person right there! (Pointing at a very normal looking woman in the wine aisle.)

RANDOM CUSTOMER: Well, I've been called A LOT of things, but CRAZY is NOT one of them!

MOM: Silas, (*I hope*) she's NOT a crazy person. (*blushing*) I am SO sorry! .... (trying to explain...)

CUSTOMER: (laughs) Don't worry about it. *It's kind of funny!

* Likely much funnier when it ISN'T YOUR KID!!!